Joutsela, Markus; Roto, Virpi Introducing Experience Goals ...€¦ · We analyse the process of integrating experience goals into the package design process, and provide topics for

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Joutsela, Markus; Roto, VirpiIntroducing Experience Goals into Packaging Design

Published in:Proceedings of DRS 2016, Design Research Society 50th Anniversary Conference

DOI:10.21606/drs.2016.305

Published: 01/06/2016

Document VersionPublisher's PDF, also known as Version of record

Published under the following license:CC BY-NC

Please cite the original version:Joutsela, M., & Roto, V. (2016). Introducing Experience Goals into Packaging Design. In P. Lloyd, & E. Bohemia(Eds.), Proceedings of DRS 2016, Design Research Society 50th Anniversary Conference (Proceedings of DRS;Vol. 1). Design Research Society. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2016.305

https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2016.305

https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2016.305

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IntroducingExperienceGoalsintoPackagingDesign

MarkusJoutsela*,VirpiRoto

AaltoUniversitySchoolofArts,DesignandArchitecture,Finland*Correspondingauthore-mail:[email protected]

Abstract: Consumer experiences are an increasingly important driving force forcommerce, affecting also packaging design. Yet, experience design for packages israrely studied. Specifically, there is a gap in research regarding the integration ofexperientialgoals,Xgoals,intothepackagingdesignprocess.OpenquestionsincludehowtodescribeXgoals indesignbriefswhenpackagedesign isoutsourced,howtodeal with changes during the design process, and how to evaluate whether thedelivered design evokes the intended experience in the target audience. In thisexplorative paper we present three package design cases in which Xgoals wereintegratedintothedesignbriefs.Thecasescovertheprocessfrombriefformationtodesignandexperienceevaluationoftheresultingpackages.Weanalysetheprocessof integratingexperiencegoals into thepackagedesignprocess,andprovide topicsforfutureresearch.

Keywords:Xgoals;packagingdesign;brief;designforexperience

1.IntroductionTraditionally,therelationshipbetweenapackageanditsconsumerfocusesonthepointofpurchase,sincepackagingisseenas“thesilentsalesman”(Pilditch1961).Today,theroleofpackagingdesignhasexpandedfromthebasicfunctionsofcontaining,preserving,protecting,identifying,marketingandbrandbuildingtowardsprovidingmeaningfulexperiences(Underwood2003).Althoughbasicusabilityimprovementshavebecomeanorminpackagingdesign,gooduserexperienceconsistsnotonlyofthepragmaticusabilitybutalsooftheemotional,non-instrumentalaspectsofthedesign.Whiletherearemanygoodexamplesofexperientialpackagesonthemarket,theexperientialaspectsofpackagingdesignarestillrarelystudiedbyscholars.

Productmanufacturingcompaniescommissionpackagedesignsusuallyfromateamofdesigners(externalorin-house).Thetasksandobjectivesforthepackagingdesignare

MarkusJoutsela&VirpiRoto

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definedinadesignbriefwhichisthenregardedasaguidingdocumentforthedesignprocess.Itdeterminesthedesigndirection,boundaryconditionsaswellasspecificationsfortheexpectedoutcome.Thereislackofresearchonhowtoaddressconsumer-packaginginteractionorexperiencegoals(Xgoals)inapackagingdesignbriefandthesubsequentdesignprocess.

Ourpresentresearchstudiedthepackagingdesignprocess,specificallyincaseswherepackagingdesignisoutsourced.Itfocusedonboththefirstimpressionatthepointofsaleandthepackageinteraction.Themainresearchquestionwas“Howtointegrateexperiencegoalsintothepackagedesignprocess?”,andthespecificquestionswerethefollowing:howtodescribeXgoalsindesignbriefs,howdopackagingdesignteamsinterpretbriefsduringthedesignprocess,andhowtoevaluatewhetherthedelivereddesignevokestheintendedexperienceinthetargetaudience.Sincetheproblemsrelatedtoexpressingexperientialgoalsinapackagingdesignbriefarenotyetwelldefined,wetookanexploratoryapproachtostudyrealisticmeansofintegratingXgoalsintothebriefindifferentcompanycases.Real-lifedesigncasesarenecessarywhenstudyingbriefing,asmanyexternalrealitiesaffectboththebriefandthedesignprocess.

Thispaperpresentsthreecasesinwhichanexperience-drivenbriefwasdevelopedcollaborativelywithbrandowners,packagingdesignprofessionalsandresearchers,basedonexperienceinsightsfromconsumersintheintendedtargetgroup.Thebriefsweregiventomultidisciplinarydesignteams,unfamiliarwiththecasepriortoreceivingtheassignment.DuringthedesignprocesstheteamswereinterviewedabouttheiruseofthebriefandimplementationoftheXgoals.Theexperientialqualitiesoftheresultingpackagingprototypeswerethenevaluatedbytheconsumersofthecase-specifictargetgroup.

2.Relatedresearch

2.1PackagingasasourceofexperienceBloch(1995)discussedtheimpactofgooddesignonuserexperiencesalreadyin1995:

“Thephysicalformordesignofaproductisanunquestioneddeterminantofitsmarketplacesuccess.Agooddesignattractsconsumerstoaproduct,communicatestothem,andaddsvaluetotheproductbyincreasingthequalityoftheusageexperiencesassociatedwithit.”-Bloch(1995)

Appearanceandvisualcommunicationofthepackagingdifferentiatesaproductfromcompetitionandinfluencesconsumerchoice(Creusen&Schoormans2005).Seeingapackagecreatesimpressionsandresultsinassociationsinconsumers’mindsevenbeforetheconsumershaveactualexperiencesabouttheproduct,i.e.,thepackagingdesignbuildsexpectationsfortheproduct.Packagingcommunicationdoesnotonlyhappenatthepointofsale,butcontinuesattheconsumer’shomeafterthepurchaseismade(Ampuero&Vila2006).Packagingisamarketingmediumvoluntarilyselectedbyconsumerstobebroughtintotheirhomes.


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Insummary,packagingisaneffectivetoolforcommunicationbetweenthebrandandtheconsumer.Aproperfocusonthepackageexperiencecanresultinimprovedproductandbrandexperiencesinthetargetaudience.Thepackagingdesigner’sroleistofacilitatethiscommunicationprocessfromthebrandtoitsconsumer.Thedesignercomposesaestheticentitiesusingdesignelementsandstylesthatheorshebelieveswill(best)communicatetheappropriatemessageaboutthebrandandproduct.

2.2PackagingdesignprocessAccordingtoOrth&Malkewitz(2008),packagedesigncanbeseenasaresultofanintentionalprocesswherethedesignerhaschosenandblendedvariouselementsintoaholisticdesigninordertoachieveaparticularsensoryeffect.Theappearanceofapackagecanbeconstructedinnumerousways,butinordertocreateasuccessfulandengagingdesign,thedesignerneedstohaveanawarenessofwhatisimportantfortheproduct’sintendedaudience,aswellaswhichaestheticandstylisticchoicesmightworkforthetargetgroup(Rundh2009).Thedesignobjectivesareusuallyoutlinedinabriefprovidedbytheclient(Phillips2004),butthemeanstoactuallyaccomplishtheobjectives,toconveyandcommunicateintendedideas,meaningsandmessagesareusuallyleftforthedesignertochoose(Björklund2013).

Briefingisalsosaidtobeaprocessofframingasharedviewbetweentheclientanddesigner(s).Itisimportantinordertodevelopamutualunderstandingofwhattheprojectisaboutandtocreateanactionableview.(Paton&Dorst2011)AccordingtoHeyetal.(2007),suchasharedviewideallyincludesadescriptionofthedesiredgoal(s),aselectionofrelevantandprioritizedfeatures,theproblemscope,solutionscopeandprojectedvalue(s).Thebriefalsoaddressesresourceconstraints(Hey,Joyce,&Beckman,2007).Thebriefcanbe(expressed/presented)invariousformats,andaccordingtoPhillips(2004),thereisnosingleformatforagooddesignbrief,asthepreferredformatdependsonthecompany,caseandthesituation.

2.3Experiencegoals Althoughuserandcustomerexperiencesareconsideredimportantforbusiness,thereisalackofresearchintheareaofexperientialdesignofpackaging.Traditionally,pragmaticaspectssuchasproductioncost,standardscompliance,utilityandusabilityoverridetheexperiential(alsoknownasemotionalornon-instrumental)aspectsofproductdesign.AccordingtoHassenzahl(2003),bothpragmaticandhedonicaspectsofproductusecanbefoundintheuserexperience(UX).Experience-drivendesigntypicallyfocusesonthenon-instrumentalaspectsofexperience,meaningthatthedesigngoalisnotsomuchutilitarianasexperiential(Hekkertetal.2003).Whilemuchofthepackagingdesignresearchhasapproachedexperiencesfromtheneedsofthecompany,experiencedesignfocusesmoreonthepersonwhointeractswiththepackage.AsdiscussedinLu&Roto(2014),itisnotnewthatdesignrequirementsincludeexperientialgoals,butmorecanbedonetoensure


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thattheemotionalaspectsarenotforgotteninthepressureofthepragmaticormerelyfunctionalrequirements.

Asexperiencingispersonal,itispracticallyimpossibletoforcepeopletohavespecificexperiences,butdesignerscanfacilitatetheemergenceofparticularexperiencesbyusinganapproachcalleddesignforexperiences(Sanders&Dandavate1999).Kaasinenetal.(2015)introducetheconceptofuserexperience(UX)goalsandspecifyfivedifferentsourcesforcollectinginsightandinspirationforgoal-setting:Brand,Theory,Empathy,Technology,andVision.WeadoptedtheideaofUXgoals,butsincepackagingcombinesuser,customer,andbrandexperiences,weprefertouseamoregenerictermexperiencegoal,orXgoalinshort.Inourstudy,Xgoalsaddresstheintendedemotionalexperienceofinteractingwithaproductpackaging.Forinstance,apleasantsurprisewasusedasanXgoalintwoofthedesigncasespresentedinthisstudy,butthedesigners’strategiesfordesigningforsuchanexperiencecanvary.Pragmaticrequirementsofpackagingareoutsidethescopeofthisstudy.AscanbeseeninKaasinenetal.(2015),defininggoodXgoalsisnotastraightforwardtask,butrequiresexpertise.NotallcompanieshavededicatedUXorCXexperts,especiallythecompaniesthatoutsourcepackagedesign.Yet,companiesshouldgiveguidancetodesignersaspartofthedesignbrief.Specifically,weinvestigatehowtointegrateXgoalsintothepackagedesignprocessthroughthedesignbrief.

3.PackagedesigncasesThispaperpresentsthreecasestudieswhereXgoalswereintegratedintothepackagingdesignprocessesofthreedifferentproducts,eachforadifferentcompany.Thecasecompaniesvariedinsize,age,productofferings,markets,aswellastheirexperienceinbriefingdesigners.

Case1:Aconfectionerymanufacturercommissionedanewpackagingconceptforwrappedchocolates.Thepackagingisexpectedbecasual,smallandsimplebutversatileenoughtosuitdifferentchocolatebrandsforyear-roundcasualgiftgiving.Thetargetgroupismenandwomenaged20-35.Asexperientialaims,thepackageisexpectedtodelightandsurprise,demonstratethoughtfulnessandbesomehowspecialordifferent.Stylistically,thepackagingshouldconveyquality,yetbecasualenoughformodestgifting.Thecompanyisatraditionalonewithastrongbrandandlocalmarketdominanceinthecategory.

Case2:Acorrugatedcardboardmanufacturercommissionedagiftpackagingdesignfore-commercebaseddelivery;acombineddelivery(transport)andgiftboxthatfromtheexperientialsidewouldofferauniquepersonalexperienceandwoulddelightandsurprisethereceiver.Thepackageshouldbeinterestingandmemorableandaccommodate/suitmanyoccasions.Itisexpectedtopromotehighqualityanddelightfulfunctionalitytoitsusers.Asfunctionalrequirements,itshouldbeeasytoopenandcloseaswellasreuseorrecyclelater.Thetargetgroupisfrequentusersofe-commerceservicesintheir20sand30s.


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Case3:Afoodcompanycommissionedaredesignofavacuum-packedsinglemealpackagepreviouslyconsistingofatray,plasticfilmandcardboardsleeve.Thepackedfoodistraditionalandhighquality,madewithrealingredientsandithasnoadditives.Themaingoalwastohelptheproducttostandoutfromitscompetitorswhilereducingtheplasticlookofthepackage.Asemotionalgoals,thepackagingshouldcommunicatethehome-cookedfeeloftheproduct,conveytrueness,deliciousnessandreliability.Thedesignshouldequallyappealtoelderlypeople,youngersingleconsumers,andfamilieswithyoungchildren.

4.ProcessoverviewInourpaper,weexamineexperiencedesigninthreepackagingdesigncases(partofaresearchproject).Theexplorativeprocessisseparatedintosuccessivestagesdescribedasfollows:

4.1PackagingDesignNeeds Asastartingpoint,thecompaniesprovidedarough“preliminarypackagingdesignbrief”whichwasbasedonarecognizedneedinthecompany.Twoofthecasecompanieswantedtocreateacompletelynewpackagingconcept,whileonecompanywantedtoredesignanexistingpackagetobettersuittheircurrenttargets.Eachcasehadadifferenttargetgroupandaspecifiedmarket.Thedesignhadtoconsiderfit-for-productmaterials,marketsandcomplywithtechnicalproductionspecifications.Atthispointthecasedescriptionswerenotverydetailed,butincludedbasicinformationabouttheproductandthecompany’sneed-statealongwithsomeobjectivesanddesignrequirements.Thesepreliminarybriefsprovidedoutlinesfordevelopingexperience-enhancedbriefsatalaterstage.

4.2ConsumerinsightandexperiencesFollowingKaasinenetal.’s(2015)approach,wecollectedrelevantunderstandingaboutusersandcontextofusepriortoanyexperiencegoalsetting.Beforethestartoftheactualpackagingdesignprocess,consumersfromeachcase-specifictargetgroupparticipatedinasmallsurveycollectinginformationabouttheconsumers’wishes,needs,expectationsandexperiencesrelatedtotheproductanditspackaging.Experiencedescriptionswerecollectedwithopen-endedquestionswhichcoveredissuessuchasmotivationtouseaproduct/packaging,typicalcontextofuse,productselectioncriteria,aswellasdescriptionsofanidealpackageandopeningexperience.Threedifferentscaleswereusedformeasuringexperiencesrelatedtoappearance,packaginginteraction,andbrandimage.ThescaleswereAttrakDiff2(Hassenzahletal.2004),InteractionVocabulary(Lenzetal.2013),andthebrandpersonalitymeasurebyGeuensetal.(2009).TheAttrakDiff2scalecontainsmeasuresforpragmaticandhedonicuserexperience,includingappearancemeasures.TheInteractionvocabularywasusedtomeasurepackageinteractionexperience,whichinourcaseswasfocusedontheopeningexperience.Thebrandpersonalitymeasurecollecteddataonpackaging-generatedbrandperceptions/beliefs.TheAttrakDiff2andInteractionvocabulary


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scalesweremodifiedtoincludeonlythebest-fitting(easilycomprehended)questionsforpackagingresearchafterpre-testingthemwithsomeconsumersandcommonpackagingsamples.

4.3AnalysingconsumerinsightThecollecteddatawasanalysedbyusingsummativecontentanalysisforthequalitativeanswers,whiledescriptivestatisticswereappliedtothequantitativescales.Toenableeasyinterpretationofthequantitativeresults,visual“experienceprofiles”werecreateddepictingthemeanvaluesforeachscale.Asummaryoftheresultswasgiventothebrandownerswhowerethenaskedtoselectamongthefindingsthreemostsignificantorrelevantuserexperience-relatedresultstobeusedasadditionalconsumer-inspiredXgoalsinthepackagingdesignbrief.

4.4Co-designinganexperience-enhancedbrief Theauthorsorganizedaco-designworkshopaboutbriefinginordertoexplorethebestwayofintegratingtheconsumer-inspiredXgoalsintothecase-specificdesignbriefs.Participantsoftheworkshopwerethebrandownersandpackagingdesignprofessionalsinvitedfromvariouscompaniesanddesignagencies.Thebrandowners’briefingexperiencevariedfromrelativelyinexperiencedtoveryexperienced.Thepurposewasalsotoexchangeknowledgeaboutvariousbriefingpractices,experiencesandchallengesrelatedtobriefingfrombothbrandownersanddesignpractitioners’pointofview.Thefacilitatorspresentedvariousalternativebriefingformatsasinspirationalmaterialtoencouragediscussionaboutdifferentwaysofbriefing.Asummaryofthesurveyresults,theXgoalschoseninthepreviousphase,andthepreliminarybriefswerepresentedassourcematerialfordevelopinganexperience-enhanceddesignbrief.

4.5Finalizingtheexperience-enhancedbriefs Aftertheworkshop,theexperience-enhanceddesignbriefswerefinalizedandapprovedbythebrandownersinaformatfittingthecompany’sownbriefingculture.Asvariouswellworkingbriefingpracticesandformatsexist,wedecidednottoforcecompaniestouseanysingleoneformat.Briefingpracticesarecompanyandculturespecific,andaccordingtoPhillips(2004):“Thereisnosinglecorrectorpreferredformatforadesignbrief.”AllthreebriefswereformattedforPowerPointpresentations,buttheXgoalsweretreateddifferently.Inoneapproach,theXgoalsweretreatedasapartofalistofobjectives,inanothertheXgoalswerelinkedtothetargetgroupdescriptionandvalues,andinathirdapproachtheXgoalswerescatteredindifferentpartsofthebriefs’overallnarrative.

4.6Creatinganoutsourceddesignteam Aspackagingdesigninvolvesawiderangeofconsiderationsfrommaterials,engineering,ergonomics,andsustainabilitytovisualcommunicationandbranding,itisrarelytheresponsibilityofasingleperson.Forthisproject,multidisciplinaryprojectteamswere


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createdforeachcasefromuniversitystudentswhohadappliedforaninterdisciplinarypackagingdesignMaster’scourseattheAaltoUniversity.Studentsfromvariousprogramsappliedbysubmittingmotivationletterssixmonthspriortothecoursestart,andalimitednumberofstudentswithdifferentbackgroundswasselectedinordertoformdiversebutfunctionalprojectteamswithvaryinglevelofexperiencewithbriefingandpotentialtomanagethedesignchallengeathand.Theteamsconsistedofsixstudents,ranginginbackgroundfromindustrialdesign,graphicdesign,productandpackagingdesign,materialtechnology,engineering,sustainabilitytobusinessstudies.Eachprojectteamwascustom-createdbythecoursestaffinordertomatchtheteam’sbackgroundcompetencestotheassumedcase-specificrequirements.

4.7Briefingthedesignteams Thebrandownerspresentedthedesignbriefstotheprojectteams(previouslyunfamiliarwiththecase)atthebeginningofathree-monthpackagingdesigncourse,andthestudentshadanopportunitytoaskquestionsanddiscussdetailswiththeirclient.Eachteamworkedwithadifferentcompanyandthusadifferentpackagingdesignbrief.BesidesthePowerPointpresentation,someclientsofferedadditionalinformationtothestudentsintheformofseparatetechnicalspecifications,ortemplates;oradditionalinformationregardingthetargetgroup.Thestudentsmetwiththeirclientsafewweeksaftertheinitialbriefingtoverifythattheyhadunderstoodthebriefcorrectly,topresenttheirinitialprojectplan,andtocollectfeedback.Theprojectplanoutlinedvariousstepsandmilestonesintheintendedprocess.Onestudentactedastheprojectmanagerandcontactpersonintheteam,presentinganddiscussingprogressreportswiththeclientatdifferentstagesduringtheproject.Theteamswereexpectedtocreateaniterativelydevelopedpackagingdesignbasedonthebrief,resultinginaphysicalprototype(aprinted,functionalpackagingmock-up)andaprojectreport.

4.8StudyingbriefcomprehensionandimplementationofXgoals Immediatelyafterthebriefing,theteamsparticipatedinasmallsurveyonfirstimpressionsandthemostdifficultthingtounderstandinthebrief.Thestudentsalsorateddifferentqualitiesofthebriefonascaleof1–7.Laterduringthedesignprocess,theteamswereinterviewedingroupsaboutusingthebriefs,Xgoalsanddesignchallengesthattheyencountered.TheresultsarepresentedinChapter5.

4.9Deliveringtheresults Thenewpackagingconceptsandprototypeswerepresentedtothecompaniesbymeansofanoralpresentationsupportedbyavisualpresentationdepictingandjustifyingthedesignsolution.Physicalmock-upswerealsoshown.Inaddition,eachdesignteamproducedaprojectreportaddressingthedesignissuesinmoredetail.Thefinalpresentationmaterialsandprojectreportswereanalysed(withcontentanalysis)toseewhetherandhowthe


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Xgoalsdescribedinthebriefwereaddressedintheworkdescriptions,andtoseehowtheprojectteamsjustifiedandcommunicatedtheirdesignsolutions.

4.10Consumerevaluations Thenewpackagingdesignswereassessedinalabbyconsumersrepresentingthetargetgroupofeachproduct.Thehighfidelityprototypeswereprofessionallyprintedonthefinalmaterials,butwerenotyetoptimizedforsmoothinteraction.Theconsumersexaminedthephysicalprototypeintheirhandsandansweredasurveymeasuringtheexperience.Experiencedescriptionswerecollectedwithopen-endedqualitativequestionsaddressingfirstimpression,visualcommunicationandopeningexperience,andbyusingthesamethreesemanticscalesasusedinthefirstphase(AttrakDiff2,InteractionVocabulary,andBrandPersonality).Thisprovidedinformationonwhetherthedesignconveyedtoitsaudiencetheintendedexperiencesoutlinedinthebrief.

5.ResultsFromdesignpractitioners’pointofview,weexaminedtheuseofXgoalsinthedesignprocessfromthreeperspectives.Firstly,theprojectteamreportedtheirfirstimpressionsofthebrief.Secondly,weinterviewedtheteamstocollectfeedbackonthebriefanduseofXgoalsinthedesignprocess.Thirdly,thefinalpresentationsandprojectreportswereanalysedfornotionsofXgoals.Afterthis,thenewprototypeswerestudiedwithinthetargetgrouptoobservetheactualexperiencesconsumershadwiththepackaging.TheresultswerethencomparedtotheXgoalsmentionedinthebrief.

5.1Firstimpressionsofthebriefs Basedonthefirstimpressions,thestudentsratedqualitiesofthebriefonascaleof1–7(stronglydisagree–stronglyagree)intermsofhowthebriefwasinterpreted.Table1presentstheresultsbasedontheaverageratingsineachteam.Allbriefswereratedasclearandunderstandableaswellasratheruser-driven,production-driven,anddesigner-friendly;andtheyalsoaddressedtheendusers’intendedexperiences.

Table1Designteams’firstimpressionsofthequalitiesofthebrief

Brief Clear Inspiring User-driven Production-driven

Designer-friendly

ConsidersUX

Confectionary 6,5 7,0 6,5 6,3 5,5 6,5

E-commerce 6,0 5,6 5,6 5,2 5,8 6,2

Readymeal 5,6 3,2 4,0 5,0 4,2 5,5

Thequestionnairealsoaskedthestudentstoreportwhatwasdifficulttounderstandinthebrief.MostoftheresponsesreferredtoinformationthatwasnotrelatedtotheXgoals.Twostudentsindifferentteamsreportedthatitwasdifficulttodistinguishbetweenthe


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primaryandsecondaryrequirementsinthebrief,whichmayhaveappliedtotheXgoalsaswell.

5.2Designteamfeedbackoftheproject Thedesignteamswereinterviewedtwoweeksbeforethedeliverydatesofthefinisheddesignconceptsandprototypes.Themembersofeachteamwereaskedtoreflectonthebriefanddescribehowitwasusedinthedesignprocess.TheinterpretationandimplementationofXgoalswasalsodiscussed.

Allbriefswereconsideredclearingeneral,butsomeXgoalswereconsideredmoreactionablethanothers.TheXgoalswereintegratedintothebriefsasexpressionsofthekindofexperience,effectorinterpretationthedesignshouldenable.Insomebriefsthegoalswerepresentedasrequirementorwishlists,andinothersthegoalswerehiddeninamorenarrativeformat.TheconcretenessoftheXgoalsandabstractionlevelswereconsideredtohaveanimpactonhoweasytheyaretounderstandandactuponinthedesignprocess,asstatedinthefollowingquotesfromtheinterviews.

“Ecological,branded,delightfulexperience…arebigwordsthatcanbeunderstoodinamilliondifferentways”(PD-5)

“Tochangeuserbehavior.Tomakepeoplebuymoregiftstoeachother.It’skindofabigtarget!”(PD-1)

“Inourcase,experiencegoalswereeasytounderstandbecausetheywerephysicalonesandnotabstractones.Theyarephysicallyseen.”(ED-3)

Thebalancebetweenthegoalsandrestrictionswasalsodiscussed.Howcangoalsbeadequatelyachievedwithanumberofrestrictionsandlimitedmeans?

”They(descriptionsinthebrief)wereclear.Thetermsarereallyeasy,theywantthisandthisandthis,andyouwouldknowwhattodo.Butthenyouhavetheserestrictionswithproductionandcolorsandbrands,andthenitiskindofalottotakeinandstillmeetthetarget.”(PD-1)

Inadditiontothewrittenbrief,clearandfrequentcommunicationwasconsideredimportantthroughouttheproject,inordertohaveanadequatesharedunderstandingoftheexpectationsandlimitations.Clientsmighthaverelevanttacitknowledge(Polanyi1966),hiddenexpectations,andideasaboutthecasethatarenotexplicitlycommunicated,i.e.,thingstheyhaveseensomewhereandlikebutthatareleftunspoken.Ifthereareexpectationsthatarenotexplicitlycommunicated,designersneedtoworkoutasolutionthatiseitheralignedwiththeclients’(hidden)expectationsorconvincetheclientaboutanother,hopefullybettersolution.

”Themostdifficultthing(inbriefs)isthat…nobody(referringtoclient)hasacompletelyopenmindwhentheygotoadesigner.Liketheyalreadyhaveathingintheirheadandtheyaregivingyouideasonhowyoushoulddosomethingforthemandtheyarehopingthatwewouldsomehowendupwiththatresult.Butthenyouendupwithsomethingelse,completelydifferent,butstillnice,andtheyarejust


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surprisedthatitcanbesodifferent…Wecan’treadtheirmindsbutsometimesIwishIcould.”(PD-1)

Thevolatilenatureofdesignprojectswasalsomentioned.Itisnotuncommonindesignprojectsthatthefocusshiftsduringtheprocessasbothdesignersandclientsrealizeandlearnmore,seenewopportunitiestoreframetheoriginalprobleminanewwaywhileiterativelyworkingtowardsthegoal.Inoneofthecasestheclientdecidedtoexpandthetargetgroupfromtheoriginalbrief.

”Whenyoustartaprojectinacompany,thingsstilltendtokeepdevelopingandsometimesitisaschedulingissuethatyougoaheadandstartaprojectwithoutreallythinkingaboutwhatyouactuallywant...itisnotuncommonthatthingschangeintheprocess.”(GD-3)

”Idon’teventhinkthattheclientwouldhavebeenabletotellusinthebeginning,evenifwehadasked,becauseIthinktheirthoughtshavealsokindofevolvedthroughouttheprocess.”(GD-3)

Thedesignprocessandsolutionareinfluencedbytheinformationthatthedesignteamhasonthetargetgroupandthecontextofuse.

“Theeatingexperienceandopeningofthepackage(wasconsideredimportant)especiallyfortheelderly,becauseinthebeginningthatwasthefocus,butIthinkwestillhavekeptthatalthoughthefocusgrouphaschanged.Ifitiseasytouseforgrandmas,itiseasytouseforeverybody.”(GD-1)

5.3Userevaluationofpackagingprototypes ToseehowtheexperientialqualitiesoftheprototypesalignwiththeXgoalsofthebrief,theprototypes(Figures1–3)wereevaluatedbyconsumersrepresentingcase-specifictargetgroups.Foreachcase,30prototypesweremanufacturedbyaprinthouse.Figures1–3presentthepackageprototypescreatedbytheteams.Amarketingcompanywasusedtorecruit77participantsrepresentingthetargetgroupsofthethreeproducts.

Theevaluationtookplaceinalab-likeenvironment,with1–4subjectsatatime.Eachparticipanthadtheirownpackagingprototypeplacedonatable,nexttoacomputerwithasurvey.Eachparticipantinteractedwiththeprototypeandevaluatedrelatedexperiencesindividuallyandfollowingtheorderspecifiedinthesurvey.Nointeractionbetweenparticipantswasallowed,andvisibilitytotheothertesterswasblocked.Experiencesexpressedintheparticipants’ownwordswerefirstcollectedwithopen-endedquestionsregardingthefirstimpression,visualappearance,andopeningexperience(forresults,seeTable2).Thefirstimpressionandappearancerelatedquestionswereaskedbeforeopeningthepackage,sotheinsideaestheticsoftheprototypedidnotaffecttheappearanceevaluations.Inaddition,qualitativeinformationontheidealcontextofusewascollected.AttrakDiff2(Hassenzahletal.2004),InteractionVocabulary(Lenzetal.2013)andbrandpersonality(Geuensetal.2009)scaleswereusedtoobservehowtheprototypesperformedintermsofsomequantifiablegeneral(notcase-specific)packaging-relatedexperientialcriteria.Scale-relateddataareexcludedfromourpaper,astheyarenotcoredatarelatedto


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theintegrationofXgoalsintothedesignbriefs.TheresultsfromtheInteractionVocabularyscalearereportedinJoutselaetal.(inpress).

Figure1 Chocolatepackage.


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Figure2 E-commercepackage.


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Figure3 Readymealpackage.

5.4Addressingexperiencegoalsindifferentphases Table2depictsinthreecolumnshowreferencestoexperiencesarepresentinthedifferentstages.Thefirstcolumndescribes(emotional)Xgoalsmentionedbythecompaniesinthebriefs,thesecondcolumndescribestargetedexperiencesmentionedbythedesignersinthefinalpresentationorprojectreport,andthethirdcolumndescribesthemostfrequentexperiencesspontaneouslymentionedbytheactualusersintheevaluationphaseoftheprototype.Theuserexperiencedescriptionssummedupinthethirdcolumnwerecollectedwiththreequalitativequestions:thefirstimpression,visualappearance,andopeningexperience.Ifadescriptionwasmentionedinmorethanoneofthequestions,i.e.delightfulbothintermsofappearanceandopeningexperience,onlythequestionthathadahigherfrequencyoftheexperienceisreported.NotethatinCase1:Chocolatepackaging,12of34testsubjectscouldneitherunderstandnoroperatetheunorthodox(surprising)telescopicopeningmechanismofthepackaging,andthesesubjectsactuallyendedupbreakingthepackagingbyforcingupsomethingthatremotelyresembleddustflapsatthetopofthepackage.Wedecidedtoexcludethese12descriptionsoftheopeningexperiencefromtheanalysis,sincetheexperienceresultsaddressadifferenttypeofopeningmechanismandstructure.


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Table2Experiencesfrombriefstoconsumerevaluation.


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6.ConclusionsWehavereportedastudyofthreepackagingdesigncaseswhereXgoalswereintegratedintothepackagedesignbrief.Eachcasewastackledbyaninterdisciplinaryprojectteamonapackagingdesigncourse.Thepackagingdesignassignmentscamefromrealneedsofrealcompanies,whoalsosetstrictrequirementsforproductionfeasibility.WelearnedthatdescribingXgoalsaspartofthebriefisbeneficialforthepackagingdesign,butitisnotsimple.Afteranalysingthebriefformationprocess,studyingtheprojectteamsusingthebriefs,andevaluatingtheresultingpackagingdesigns,wecanmaketheconclusionsandanswerourresearchquestionsasfollows.

TheprimaryresearchquestionwashowtointegrateXgoalsintothepackagingdesignprocess.OuroriginalideaofhavingaseparatesectionoraunifiedformatforXgoalswasfoundunrealistic,ascompanieshavedifferentbriefingcultures,andasvariousbriefformatsareknowntowork.Forthecompanies,itwasmostnaturaltointegratetheXgoalsintotheexistingsectionsofthebriefs.Inthethreecasesunderexamination,eachbriefwasdesigneddifferentlyandXgoalswereplacedindifferentsections,dependingonthebrief(i.e.intheoverviewdescription,assignmentdefinition,projectobjectives,experienceobjectives,targetgroupdescription,andinadescriptionofvaluestobeaddressed.)IntegratingtheXgoalsintothesesectionshelpstoconveyamorecoherentstoryoftheclient’svision.

Relatedtotheprimaryquestion,weinvestigatedthreespecificresearchquestions.ThefirstquestionwashowtodescribetheXgoalsinthedesignbrief.Basedontheexperiencegainedinthestudy,alistofstandardizedexperienceadjectivesfollowedbyanimportancescalewasconsideredtoogeneral.Sincepackagedesignerswanttocreateuniqueexperiences,theformatofanXgoalshouldallowexpressinguniqueexperientialqualitiesthathavethepotentialtodifferentiatethepackageonthemarket.Inotherwords,thebrandownerspreferredqualitativeexperiencedescriptionsoverquantitativescaleswhenspecifyingXgoals.Inthethreeresultingbriefs,theXgoalsweredescribedasadjectives(descriptors)orsentencesthatdepictthedesiredexperienceinamorenarrativeformat.

InadditiontotheXgoalsdescriptionsinthedesignbrief,discussionbetweentheclientandthedesignteamwasneededtoestablishasharedunderstandingofthereasonsbehindandthespecificnuancesoftheXgoals.Intwooutofthreecases,theassignmentpartiallyshiftedduringthepackagingdesignphaseastheparties’knowledgeofthecaseandfocusoftheprojectdeveloped.Weconcludethatthebriefshouldbeinaflexibleformattoalloweasyupdates.

ThenextsecondaryresearchquestionwasconcernedwithhowthebriefanditsXgoalswereinterpretedandusedbytheprojectteamduringthedesignprocess.Intheexaminedcases,theteammembersdidnotexperiencedifficultiesunderstandingthegoals,butseveralstudentswouldhavelikedtohaveamoredistinctdifferentiationbetweenprimaryandsecondaryrequirementsingeneral.Thebriefsinourthreecasesunderexamination


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sufferedtosomeextentfromtoomanyobjectivesandXgoals,anditmighthavebeenbeneficialtopicke.g.threeprimaryXgoalsandlistothersassecondary.

Duringthecourse,thestudentteamsusedvariousmethodsfordeveloping,expanding,specifyingandsharingtheconceptidea,involvingitsexperientialaspects.Variousmoodboardsandconceptmaps,personasandscenarioswereusedtohelpbuildasharedunderstandingoftheintendedusers,theirvaluesandmotivationsaswellasthecontextofuse.Studentteamsworkediteratively.Theygeneratedseveralideas,sketchesandmock-upstobeinternallyassessedagainsttheperceivedrequirementsinthebrief.Theteamsalsopresentedtheirworkindifferentstagestotheclienttocollectfeedback.

Thefinalresearchquestionwashowtoevaluatewhetherthedelivereddesignevokestheintendedexperienceinthetargetaudience.Despitesomeproblemswithsmoothlyopeningandclosingapackage,therespondentsspontaneouslyreportedmanyoftheintendedexperiences.Therefore,weconcludethatopen-endedquestionssuchas“Whatkindofafirstimpressiondoyougetofthepackage”canbeusedtoseewhethertheexperiencesarerealized.Themostdemandingtaskistheanalysisoftheopen-endedquestions,asitrequiresidentifyingsemanticsimilaritiesofthetermsused.Thequantitativescalesweusedturnedouttobetoogenericfortestingwhethertheintendedexperienceswererealized.

6.1FutureresearchOurstudyraisedmanyquestionstobetackledinfutureresearch.Firstly,whatformatsarecurrentlyinuseforXgoaldescriptions?Wehavenotlocatedanypublicationssummarizingthedifferentformatsusedforstatingexperientialgoals,i.e.designgoalsthatfocusonemotionalornon-instrumentalaspectsofUX,inadesignbrief.Comparisonoftheunderstandabilityandexpressivenessofthedifferentformatswouldbeusefulforbriefingprofessionals.

Secondly,whatkindofguidancewouldhelpinexperiencedbriefersdescribeXgoals?Inthepackagingindustry,notallcompaniescanuseprofessionalsindefiningadesignbrief,andthedesignassignmentisoftenstatedverballyindiscussions.WhentheXgoalsarenotformallydefined,thereisariskthattheintendedexperiencesarenotrealizedinthepackagingdesign,althoughthesubcontractorhasperformedtheagreedjob.Futureresearchshouldaddressthisriskandgiveguidanceonstatingexperiencegoalsinameasurableformat.

Thirdly,howtoevaluateexperiencesasearlyaspossibleinthedesignprocess?WhentheXgoalsarestatedinameasurableformatandreachingthetargetexperiencesisamust,thedesignagencywantstoverifythatthedesignworkisprogressingintherightdirectionasearlyaspossibleinthedesignprocess.However,earlyevaluationofexperiencesischallenging(Rotoetal.2009).Ourstudyalsofaceddifficultiesinevaluatingpackagingprototypes,evenwhentheprototypeswereclosetofinal.Productionrelatedissues,suchasminorchangesinthegradesorstiffnessofmaterialcancontributetohoweasyordifficulta


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packagestructureistouseandinteractwith.WesupportthecallbyRotoetal.(2009)formoreresearchonearlyevaluationofexperiences.

Acknowledgements:ThisworkwassupportedbyaTekes-fundedValuepackresearchprogram.WethankvariousemployeesofValuepackcompaniesforallthehelptheyprovidedduringthestudy.WethanktheteachersofthePack-AgeInterdisciplinaryPackagingDesignProjectcourse,aswellasourstudentsfortheirpackagingdesigncontribution:PetriinaPiuhola,HeliJuuti,OonaCasalegno,RodrigoPrietoPadila,AnuPenttinen,JanikaHaataja,AnnaAncCiechanowicz,ErikoIshii,SaraCeccherini,An-TingDin,TerhiIsokuortti,TatuLaakso,MukundhanKulur,EssiHuotari,KaroliinaHeikkinen,DuYuexin,Anna-MiiaSuominen,andJennaVirrankari.

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AbouttheAuthors:

Markus Joutsela is a packaging design researcher and teacherwithan interest in developing packaging design education and studyinghowpackages conveymeanings andenableexperiences. HeworksatTheAaltoUniversitySchoolofArts,DesignandArchitecture,intheDepartmentofMedia.

Virpi Roto is a research fellow with research focus on experiencedesignapproaches.SheworksatTheAaltoUniversitySchoolofArts,DesignandArchitecture,intheDepartmentofDesign.

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Joutsela, Markus; Roto, Virpi Introducing Experience Goals ...€¦ · We analyse the process of integrating experience goals into the package design process, and provide topics for